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Those who oppose marijuana policy reform would rather take voters out of the equation altogether.

By Paul Armentano, NORML

Those who wish to perpetuate the failed public policy of cannabis criminalization have lost the hearts and minds of the American public. And they know it.

With public support for marijuana policy reform reaching super-majority status in recent years, prohibitionists and other political opponents have largely abandoned efforts to try and influence public opinion. Rather, they are now relying on gamesmanship to prevent voters from weighing in on the issue. In some cases, they are even willing to overturn the will of the electorate to get their way.

This was the case last election. In Mississippi and South Dakota, reform opponents successfully litigated to nullify election results for a pair of marijuana legalization measures, thereby nullifying the votes cast by 73 percent and 54 percent of voters respectively.

That same year in Nebraska, members of the state Supreme Court struck down a proposed medical cannabis access initiative months after it had been approved by the Secretary of States office. Polling in the state showed that 77 percent of Nebraskans backed the initiative, but they never got the chance to show their support at the polls. Months later, Floridas Republican attorney general successfully brought suit to preemptively deny a proposed 2022 legalization initiative from appearing on the ballot.

Opponents are engaging in similar tactics this election cycle. In Arkansas, they are seeking to invalidate voters pending decision on a statewide proposal to legalize marijuana possession and retail sales. Although the measure will appear on the November ballot, it is now up to justices on the state Supreme Court to determine if the votes will ever be counted. In a filing before the court, opponents of the measure have cynically called upon judges to protect the interests and rights of [the minority of] Arkansans who oppose the legalization of recreational marijuana. (Statewide polling from earlier this year identified majority support for legalization among voters.)

In Missouri, representatives of a leading prohibitionist organization have joined legal efforts to try and disqualify a citizens initiative legalizing marijuana use by adults and providing legal relief for those with prior low-level convictions. Earlier this month, Secretary of State John Ashcroft issued a certificate of sufficiency to the Legal Missouri 2022 campaign, formally placing their initiative on the November ballot. But now opponents contend that election officials erred in doing so, opining that they may have miscounted. (Opponents basis for this claim appears to rest solely on initial media reports speculating that advocates risked falling short of signature requirements in one or two districts. Campaign proponents had vociferously denied these reports.) A statewide survey, published earlier this month, finds that 62 percent of registered voters back legalization.

Finally, in Oklahoma, election officials engaged in extensive delays prior to verifying that advocates had gathered the requisite quantity of signatures to qualify an adult-use legalization measure for the November ballot. Now officials are claiming that, because of those delays, there may be insufficient time to formally certify the measure ahead of the coming election.

In a healthy democracy, those with competing visions on public policy vie for voters support and abide by their voting decisions. In this case, however, it is becoming clear that those who oppose marijuana policy reform would rather take voters out of the equation altogether. Whether or not one personally supports or opposes cannabis legalization, these cynical and undemocratic tactics ought to be a cause of deep concern.

Paul Armentano is the Deputy Director of NORMLthe National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Lawsand he is the co-author of the book Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? (Chelsea Green, 2013).

Heres How Many Marijuana Shops New York Plans To Approve In Each Region Of The State In The First Licensing Round

See the article here:
Marijuana Prohibitionists Have Lost The War Of Ideas And Are Now Attacking Democracy Itself (Op-Ed) - Marijuana Moment

Attacks on the FBI by Donald Trump supporters, including several very prominent politicians, reveal that the anger on the right has finally begun to consume the flamethrowers themselves.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich compared the FBI to "wolves," relentlessly hunting down ordinary Americans, and went on to liken agents to the Stasi, the former East German secret police known for their brutality.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was ready to investigate, indict, and put on trial the Attorney General of the United States for doing his job.

Ive seen enough. The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization, McCarthy said. When Republicans take back the House, we will conduct immediate oversight of this department, follow the facts, and leave no stone unturned. Attorney General Garland, preserve your documents and clear your calendar. (Sounds like McCarthy has already declared guilt without trial.)

All sense of rational thinking and care and consideration of the great work of the Justice Department and the FBI in keeping America safe in recent years has disappeared. Instead, the right invents endless enemies and has now attacked another American institution that has firmly sought to ensure law and order rules since 1908.

Has the FBI made mistakes? Certainly, especially during the reign of Herbert Hoover, but overall they deserve their reputation for getting the job done.

The FBI is not perfect, but calling for arrests and investigations of agents is a bridge way too far and reveals the true intent of the GOP is no longer just about winning elections but to do so by whatever means necessary.

Irish American roots in the FBI run long and deep. There is a long tradition of Irish conservative Catholic culture among its agents, a source of pride to many.

Irish Americans face a choice as to whether they support the legitimate actions of the FBI, or if they seek an anarchist solution where FBI agents and other government workers could be fired and/or tried at will.

The FBI are the latest ones who are being violently attacked for doing their job and securing vital documents from Mar-a-Lago, Trump's winter residence.

For some nefarious reason, Trump had spirited the top secret documents out of the White House to his home. It is perfectly within the purview of the National Archives to seek and return possession of such documents which contain highly sensitive material.

The FBI went ahead and did its job, securing the documents. The response on the right was literal shots fired at an FBI office and vicious attacks from politicians and reporters alike.

The overall impact is that Trump has cleared his way back into the good graces of the right-wing machine and banished all his rivals for now anyway.

The notion of right-wing Americans venting hate and fury at the FBI would have been unthinkable a few years ago but it seems now we live in unthinkable times. The fact is, the ignorant army of the right is trying to end American democracy.

*This column first appeared in the August 24 edition of the weekly Irish Voice newspaper, sister publication to IrishCentral.

The rest is here:
Attacks on FBI by Trump supporters are a threat to democracy - IrishCentral

InThe Buzz Cut, we bring you a round-up of news you wish wasnt news.

Countrys Pillars of Democracy Found to Be Made of Lego as Adult Men Play With Press Freedom

Archeologists have revisited the monoliths holding our nation in place for a closer look. In a shocking revelation, it appears that there was nothing to see there. The historical site of the pillars of democracy was found to have been ransacked, leaving nothing behind. The current state of the ancient remains is unknown. Some believe, however, that theyve been converted into playthings for some important men seeking momentary relief from high-powered business decisions. Indeed, this week saw one such man spending some quality time honing his creativity with some toy bricks that looked suspiciously like one of the missing pillars. Some note that it was a smart business decision for someone with an eye for real estate, seizing upon the lucrative fourth estate along the way was only inevitable. The conversion of the pillar into blocks to play with, then, will help the visionary man build the much talked about development model that takes the country forward.

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High EQ Man Compares Career Lows to Terminal Illness

They say that suffering defeat humbles a person, and they could not have been more right. A man speaking about his career bravely opened up about what the low points felt like. In a video where, by all accounts, he appeared to be in good physical health, the actor said that not being successful in the movies felt like skin cancer. While the average person fortunate enough not to have skin cancer can only imagine such a fate, this empath is the rare one among us who can actually feel it. Researchers of terminal illness were shocked to discover that the pain from surmountable setbacks in life was, in fact, comparable to that of a long-drawn, life-altering illness. And yet, the man has shown it is possible to compare the two if one is multifaceted enough in their worldview, like he is. In this case, the multiple facets involved are two entire points on an emotional intelligence scale.

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Right Wing Actor Takes Unexpected Anti-national Turn by Dredging Up Beef With Award Show

An actor known for her unflinching support for religious majoritarianism has arrived at a crossroads; she must make a choice. On the one hand say, the right hand there is her love for and desire to protect cows; on the other, there is tempting beef to pick up with an award function. Having chosen to go left, in this case, choosing the beef, the actor became an unlikely candidate for joining the anti-national gang. She chose to sue the award show over nominating her for an award. Nearly everyone, including the beef, is confused over the debacle one that may prove to cost her. I always loved her, but her decision to indulge in unnecessary beef makes me question her beliefs, said one former fan. The consequences of the sudden turn are yet to be seen.

Read more:
The Buzz Cut: Country's Pillars of Democracy Found to Be Made of Lego as Adult Men Play With Press Freedom - The Swaddle

Opinion: research finds that civil society strategies are needed to help prevent any future far right growth in Ireland

By Barry Cannon and Joseph Munnelly, Maynooth University

While the far right has been rising electorally in Europe over the last 40 years, Ireland has been an exception to this trend, with little or no organised far right presence in our democratic institutions. Nevertheless, the far right was visibly present at demonstrations in this country against Covid 19 public health measures, alerting us to the possibility that this Irish situation could change quite quickly as it has done in Spain and Portugal.

The STOPFARRIGHT project was inspired by our concern at the possible rise of the far right in Ireland. We felt it important to find out how the groups most affected by far right discourse and actions such as migrants, ethnic and sexual minorities, feminists and anti-far right groups - could counter this.

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From RT Radio 1's Brainstorm, what's behind the emergence of the far right in Irish politics?

We wanted to know how much of a threat they thought the far right is to Irish democracy, and about the extent and effectiveness of state, political party and civil society counter-strategising against it. The project also sought to facilitate information exchange between Irish, European and international civil society groups and academics on the theme through a series of five webinars.

Our research found that NGOs and community groups among the affected populations mentioned above, think the far right is an important threat to Irish democracy, although not an immediate one. However, this could change quite quickly, they warn, and Irish society should prepare itself for this possibility.

The experience of many of these groups underline the seriousness of such advice. A total of 130 groups were identified and contacted, online surveys sent to them and follow up interviews requested from those who indicated a willingness to be interviewed. We received 42 responses to the survey, around a 31% response rate, with seven follow up interviews being carried out. All research took place online.

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From RT Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, broadcaster and film-maker Paul Mason on the rise of the far right in Europe

Our study found that almost 67% of respondent organisations have had staff or clients experiencing threats or violence from the far right. All respondents (100%) reported online harassment or threats, while 75% reported verbal harassment or threats, 50% physical and close to 40% property damage. Finally, the overwhelming majority (80%) felt that such attacks had increased in the last five years.

When asked about the states attitude to the far right, most participants feel that it is too tolerant of the latter and its discourse. They recommend a more pro-active policy from the state on the issue, becoming much less tolerant of intolerant speech, by, for example, putting stronger controls on social media companies, which they consider the main means such intolerance is spread.

Participants also thought the state should support education and dialogue among the general population, to help prevent hateful and exclusive attitudes and that it should pay more attention to the conditions behind individuals being attracted to far right ideas, such as inequality, austerity, and poor access to housing and health, themes which the far right piggy back on to gain attention and support.

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From RT Radio 1's Drivetime, UCC international terrorism specialist Dr Natasha Dromey on the emergence of the far right in Ireland

Participants in the project also feel that non-far right political parties should exclude far right parties from their interactions and show active opposition to those parties and their policies. Non-far right parties should demonstrate values of inclusion, respect and equality, be proactive in denouncing and reprimanding any political group that stir division and propagate misinformation and steadfast in challenging the various forms of hate and discrimination when they appear. Additionally, these political parties should lead by example, upholding moral and political standards and principles which are antithetical to the far right.

The groups surveyed also provide examples of strategies they use to help counter-act the far right, which we term demarcation and confrontation. Demarcation is when an organisation clearly demonstrates how their values fundamentally differ from those of the far right, including in some cases banning far right individuals from membership.

Political parties should lead by example, upholding moral and political standards and principles which are antithetical to the far right

Confrontation means mounting demonstrations, working more closely with the authorities to fight against hate crime, and getting truthful information out to the public to counteract far right misinformation and disinformation. Some groups also monitor far right activity and collaborate with their colleagues in other organisations to prevent attacks from the far right. More work, has to be done, however, especially to ensure that social media companies are more effective in policing hate crimes online.

In general, participants argue that the most effective way to counter the far right is to have a national strategy which has bottom up, community involvement, placing education and awareness building at its centre. This includes strategies to tackle those inequalities which leave marginalised communities vulnerable to far right exploitation, and finely balances the rights of freedom of expression and freedom from threatening behaviours.

Within this, policies are needed to help strengthen democratic civil society including advocacy, training and funding for civil society organisations to help carry out such work. This, according to our research participants, is the best way to stop the far right entering our institutions and infecting our national discourse with hateful language and ideas.

The STOPFARRIGHT project is funded by the Irish Research Council's New Foundations Programme, and is in association with Crosscare's Migrant Project

Dr Barry Cannon is a Lecturer and Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department at Maynooth University. Joseph Munnelly is research assistant at the STOPFARRIGHT project at Maynooth University and a PhD student at the Centre for Humanitarian Action at UCD.

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RT

Excerpt from:
Are the far right a threat to Irish democracy? - RTE.ie

1. Opinion | When It Comes to Eating Away at Democracy, Trump Is a Winner  The New York Times
2. American Democracy Was Never Designed to Be Democratic  The New Yorker
3. There's a Huge Divide Among Democrats Over How Hard to Campaign for Democracy  POLITICO
4. Democrats don't 'care' about democracy as 'voting issue': Politico magazine  Fox News
5. Readers sound off on democracy, Fauci's retirement and shoplifters  New York Daily News
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Opinion | When It Comes to Eating Away at Democracy, Trump Is a Winner - The New York Times